2025-26 schedule information

[austing7]

There are two separate issues as I see it. One, which IMHO is the most important thing, is scheduling better opponents because it helps the team (a) build a resume and (b) prepare itself for conference play. Two, also important, is giving your fan base a reason to want to attend games in November and December. If you are going to complain about fan support and attendance (which Moser does, a lot), you can't do what he did last season. He didn't bring a single team with a pulse to Norman -- we played Georgia Tech because it was part of the SEC/ACC challenge. Every team that Moser himself brought to Norman was not only Q-4, but very low Q-4. Very few programs have a passionate enough basketball fan base to schedule that way and get anyone to show up. I honestly don't know what he expects -- does he really think people will show up at those games, especially after four years of proof that the inflated noncon record never carries over once conference starts?

Agreed... look at teams like Arizona. They went 6-5 in non-conference, played in the Battle 4 Atlantis, Duke (Home), Wisconsin (Away), and UCLA (Neutral). Then looking at a non-power 5 team like Samford who came off a tourney appearance isn't a bad game either. Point being they went 6-5 in non-conference and made tournament easily as a #4 seed. Give the fans a game against a team like Duke to get them excited about the season and also schedule some tough games to prepare for conference play and not get blown out and start with your first true road game against Bama.

 

[CoachTalk]

Agreed... look at teams like Arizona. They went 6-5 in non-conference, played in the Battle 4 Atlantis, Duke (Home), Wisconsin (Away), and UCLA (Neutral). Then looking at a non-power 5 team like Samford who came off a tourney appearance isn't a bad game either. Point being they went 6-5 in non-conference and made tournament easily as a #4 seed. Give the fans a game against a team like Duke to get them excited about the season and also schedule some tough games to prepare for conference play and not get blown out and start with your first true road game against Bama.

I don’t disageee with what you’re saying… but if we go 6-5 in non con. We don’t make the tournament
Even if we lost to 1-5 in the rankings.

The non con got us in the tournament this year! Period.

 

[cbertus6]

I don’t disageee with what you’re saying… but if we go 6-5 in non con. We don’t make the tournament
Even if we lost to 1-5 in the rankings.

The non con got us in the tournament this year! Period.

There might be an argument, though, that had we played that schedule and gone 6-5 we would've been better prepared and therefore performed better in conference. I get this is all a theoretical argument, but part of our struggles in conference - in my opinion - is the shellshock from the jump in competition from the non-con. Just my two cents

 

[sooner333]

From a tournament perspective, I think as long as you play (and win) some quad 1 level games, it doesn't matter all that much how good of quad 4 games you play.

As a fan, I'd like to see some more interesting non-conference games at home. When we brought in teams like Maryland, UCONN, and Cincinnati in the early 2000s, it was a great time. We played Coppin State a lot, but we usually had a good non-con game at home too.

 

[CoachTalk]

There might be an argument, though, that had we played that schedule and gone 6-5 we would've been better prepared and therefore performed better in conference. I get this is all a theoretical argument, but part of our struggles in conference - in my opinion - is the shellshock from the jump in competition from the non-con. Just my two cents

Could be right. But you won the hard non con games that got us in:

I don’t want to play folks in the bottom 50. I want to play better folks.

 

[SoonerDutch]

It could be selective listening on my end but most of the criticism I’ve heard from Moser specifically is tied to resource support, which I took to mean NIL (that has seemingly been addressed hopefully) & I guess the LNC/UPN project not attendance issues.

I know fans and especially the OU mbb beat mock home attendance, but again that is separate from Moser. I can sense some exasperation on his part, especially this season when OU made a “run,” but would agree it’s largely a product of his teams letting people down IMO (the 2023 Oklahoma State is the classic example) and sure I am not sympathetic.

TBC, agree OU should schedule better “fodder” teams for resume building purposes. I’d also agree they should seek out MTE invites and play elite OOC neutral site and road games. But scheduling name OOC games in Norman is way way down the list IMO.

Maybe OU playing Duke/Cooper Flagg in December would generate enthusiasm but playing KU in December would just result in a sellout for KU.

 

[colston15]

Curious, are you a season ticket holder or regular attendee of games? Not being critical, I'm just wondering if you would spend your money to watch these non games.

I live out of state, but attended games regularly while I lived in Oklahoma City.

I love OU basketball and would pay to watch them play just about anyone, but I understand that doesn’t work for the masses.

My point is that it doesn’t matter who we schedule at home in the non-conference, a crowd of 8000+ is highly unlikely, and the attendance figures over the last decade prove that.

It would be a great idea, given our portal success, to schedule a marquee non-conference home game. I hope we do, but I’m skeptical it’ll be well-attended.